District



(No Model.)

M. J. WINE 8: G. A. THOMPSON.

LETTER BOX.

N 605,592. Patented June 14,1898. @2 9; g -@z,;.3 (a

THE Nomus mans 00.. PHOTD-LITHQ. wnsnmmon, o c.

] UNITED STATES PATENT. Grinch;

MILETUS-J. WINE AND oHARLEsA. THOMPSON, F W S I TO DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; SAID THOMPSON ASSIGNOR o SAID WINE.

LETTER-BOX. A

SPECIFIC TION forming part of Letters patent No. 605,592, dated June- 14, 1898.

Application filed April 17, 1897.

To ctZZ whom it mag concern:

Be itknownthat we, MILETUS J. WINE and CHARLES A. THoMPsoN, citizens of the United States of America, residing at the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia,have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

It is well known that house letter-boxes are placed or located at some convenient and accessible point in a door or fixed to the doorframe' of a house, and often in adoor or areaway-of a basement which is under the steps or porch of the main entrance,in which position the letter-box is concealed from observation from the street, and under these circumstances the fact of there being mail for collection can only be ascertained by avisit to and examinationof the box. It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a signalbox for containing signals and electricallycontrolled signal-operatin g mechanism, which may be located adjacent to or remote from the letter-box and in open sight for observation by the carrier, so that he can readily and certainly observe whether a visit to the box is necessary Or required.

A further purpose or object is to associate or combine with the primaryday-signal a lamp adapted to be lighted by an electrical circuit .made and'controlled from the signal-operattherewith, the particular arrangement in op.-.

erative connection being shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the signal-box with the front side removed to show the arrangement of the electromagnets and associated mechanism foroperating the signal. Fig. 3 is a similar view, the front plate of the signal-box being broken away to show 'the location of the lamp and the construction of SerialNo.632 ,633. (NomodeL) ,Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic View of the circuits as applied and arranged in operative position and relation to the door and the letter-box.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a door, and-B B the stiles of the door-frame. The door A is provided with a suitable opening 1, through which access is had to the letter-box from the outer side of the door. The opening 1 is closed by a door 2, secured in position by hinges to the house-door at its lower edge and opening outward. Any suitable lock may be used to fasten the door 2 to prevent access to the letter-box from that direction except by authorized persons. Y

O designates a letter-box made of any ap proved form and construction and provided with a hinged lid or cover 3, provided with a look (not shown) to hold it down on the box. In the rear wall of the letter-box is formed an opening 4, registering withthe opening 2 in the door, through which access is had to the interior of the box from the outside.

D designates the signal-box, consisting of a suitable casing or box adaptedto be fastened,

as by ears 5 5 to a vertical surface, or it may be mounted on any proper support and be secured thereto, so that it can be seen by the carrier from the pavement when making his collections. In the casing Dare mounted op-- positely-disposed electromagnets M M, a space being left between the poles of the magnets, substantially as shown, so that a pivotally-hung armature will have room to move from one magnet to the other as they may become alternately energized. In the casing D, between the poles of theoppositelydisposed magnets, is pivotally supported'an armature 6, carrying on its lower free end an insulated or non-conducting sector-rack 7, the teeth of which engage in the teeth of a pinion 8, journaled in the lower part of the cas-- ing. On the shaft 9 of the pinion Sismounted rigidly, so as to turn with the shaft, a signal blade or disk'10, mounted and arranged in relation to the actuating-pinion so that when in normal and concealed position it will lie substantially in horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and so that when moved into signal position it will take a quarter-turn and stand substantially in vertieal depending position, as indicated in dotted lines in the drawings. The armature is disposed and adapted to turn the pinion this quarter-turn in its vibrations between the poles of the magnets and thus throw the signal to the positions named. If a disk is used, it is given sections of different colors to indicate whether mail is or is not to be collected. \Ve have indicated a disk in Fig. 2 of the drawings in dotted lines at (Z. In the bottom of the signal-box is formed a slots, into which the signal moves, and to prevent the signal from being moved with its lower edge clear into the signal-box a finger-piece or lug s is fixed to its outer end, which lodges against the bottom of the signal-box when the signal is thrown upward. This linger-piece maybe utilized to move the signal by should it become necessary from any cause to do so manually.

To actuate the signal, an electrical source of energy is provided, as a battery 11, which may be of any suitable kind, and from one pole of the battery is led a wire 10, connected at its other end to a contact spring or plate 0, properly mounted in the letter-box, and adjacent to the contact 0 is the other contact spring or plug 0, from which a wire '10 leads to the magnet M. The other limb of this circuit is by a wire it? from magnet to battery. To make contact and close this circuit, an arm 12 of non-conducting material is dependingly secured to the lid 3 of the letter-box, the lower end of the arm being formed with a lug or hook, as shown, which when the lid is raised draws the contact 0 into engagement with its mate and closes the circuit, the result being the magnet M is energized and the armature drawn into contact with its poles, the movement rotating the pinion and throwing the signal into position declaring that mail is in the letter-box for collection. XVhen the lid is closed and the circuit thereby opened, by breaking the engagement of the contacts the signal remains disclosed and in view, being so sustained and held by its weight or by friction.

To throw the signal into concealed and normal position, the same source of electric energy is utilized. A branch wire it" is connected to the wire 20, with its other end connected to a contact 0". Suitably mounted in the wall of the opening 2 in the door and adjacent to the contact 0 is a contact 0, from which a wire it leads to one pole of the magnet M, the other limb of this circuit being by wire 10" connected to wire 1!. to battery. To make this circuit and return the signal from View to indicate the box is clear, an arm 13 is secured in the door 2 and formed with a lug or projection on its inner end standing in the path of the contacts c c", to be operated by it, the arm being made of any suitable non-conducting material. The arrangement of the arm 13 in relation to the contacts is such that when the carrier opens the door 2 the arm pulls the contacts together and through a glass 18 set in the signal-box.

closes the circuit, so that the magnet M is energized to draw the armature against its poles, which movement of the armature rotates the pinion 8 to throw or turn the signal out of observation. All the circuits stand normally open, and since the battery is brought into action in the respective manipulations but a short time it does not become exhausted or depleted to any great extent.

In order that the door A maybe swung freely on its hinges, we interpose in the respective circuits contacts (Z (1 (1 located in the edges of the door A and rabbets of the frame, the said contacts registering with each other, as indicated in Fig. 4.- of the drawings. These contacts may be of any suitable character to effect the purpose of making the cir euits complete or in condition to be completed by the operation of the respective contacts in the letter-box. It will be perceived from this that the movements oi the door A may be made as usual, and'when it is closed the circuits can be made as required by the manipulation of the contacts in the letter-box. It may happen that mail has been deposited in the letter-box which for some reason the party of the house desires to withdraw, and since in making the deposit the signal had been displayed it may be desired to return it to concealed position. To accomplish this, a push-rod 15 is provided, which is slidingly mounted in the box with its inner end adapted to be pushed against the contact 0 to move into contact with c and close the carrier-circuit and throw the signal to concealment. A spring 16 is provided to hold the rod 15 from the contacts when not in use.

Mail being collected during the night, the displayed signal arm or disk might not then be discernible and the carrier would have to make a visit to the letter-box to ascertain the fact; but to provide a night-signal a lamp 17 is mounted in suitable position to light up the signal-box and give notice of the presence of mail, the [lame of the lamp opening into the signal-box and the light affording a signal To light the lamp, a wire circuit is made by wire connected to wire 1 2 and wire of, connected to wire '10, a suitable resistance-coil 19 being interposed over the wick. of the lamp to provide the lighting means. This circuit is made and broken by a push-button 20, interposed in one of the wires, so that when it is desired to light the lamp the push-button is moved to close the circuit, and the resistance-coil thus made incandescent to light the lamp. To extinguish the lamp when no longer required, an arm 21 is fixed to the shaft J or extended from the hub of the signal and formed with a cup or disk 22 on its free end and which when the lamp is lighted and the signal is displayed stands above and free from the lamp and when the signal is returned to normal position moves down over the wickcap of the lamp and extinguishes the flame.

In the arrangement of the circuitwires gage and close a circuit from the battery of the letter-box is raised, the arm on the lid thereof making the contacts in the box enthrough magnet M, which results. in moving the signal into View, and on closing the lid this circuitis brokeh by the opening of the contacts, but leaving the signaldisplayed. If it is after night, the push-button is moved to close the lamp-circuit and the lamp is lighted; The carrier, seeing the lamp or semaphore-signal, opens the letter-box from the outside by turning down door 2, thus closing the circuit through the contacts c actua- I ted by the arm on the door 2, which results in moving the signal to normal position, and if the lamp be lighted that is extinguished by the cup of the arm 21 coming down over the wick. a

What we claim is 1. In combination with aletter-box, an electric battery, a signal-box located adjacent to the letter-boX,'a signalin the signal-box, a hinged lid on the letter-box-provided with an arm, a door on the letter-box provided with an arm, an electricalcircuit, oppositely-disposed electromagnets in the circuit within the signal-box, a pivotally-suppor-ted armature to contact with the poles of the magnets and engage the signal with its free end to move the signal into and out of sight, and contacts in the circuit within the letter-box in the path of the arms on the lid and door thereof to.

make and break the circuit.

2. In combination with a letter-box, a lid on the letter-box provided With an arm, a door opening into the letter-box and provided with an arm, a signal-box, a signal in the signal-box, oppositely-disposed eleotromagnets mounted in the signal-box, a pi'votally-hung armature between the poles of the magnets and formed with a sector-rack on its free end a pinion on the shaft of the signal actuated by the armature, a battery, circuits from the battery to the magnets, and contacts in the circuits in the path respectively, of the arms on theletterbox lid and said door.

3. In a letter-box, a lid thereon provided. with an arm, a door opening into the letterbOX and provided with an arm, a source of electric energy, circuits therefrom made and broken through the agency of said arms re spectively, a signal-box adjacent to the letter-box, oppositely-disposed electromagnets in the circuits within the signal-box, a pivotally supported armature to contact with "either magnet and provided with a sectorrack on its free end, a pinion journaled in the signal-box to mesh with said rack, and a signal on the pinion shaft to be moved thereby. 7

4. The combination with a letter-box, and electrical circuits made and broken through the agency of movable parts of the letter-box, of a signal-box, electromagnets oppositely arranged in the signal-box and interposed in the circuits, a pivotally-hung armature between the poles of the magnets and formed with a sector-rack on its free end, a pinion journaled to mesh with the said rack, a signal on the pinion-shaft formed with an arm, and a lamp in the path of the arm whereby when the arm is moved down it covers the flame of the lamp and extinguishes it.

5. In a letter-box and in combination with hands in the presence of two attesting wit- MILETUS J. WINE. CHARLES A. THOMPSON.

Attest:

A. G. HEYLMUN, GEO. TERRY. 

